Redbuds in Springtime

“How do you like the redbuds?” Professor Barbara Crawford asked our intro to watercolor class the other day. Professor Crawford knows everything about Buena Vista and Lexington, our neighboring town. She even told my fiancé and me the history of a sign in the background of an engagement photo we took in Lexington. But I had no idea what “buds” she was talking about. As she kept talking, I figured that the redbud is a tree, and that the ones in our area have purple flowers. Classmates affirmed their beauty. It’s a good thing I’m in this art class to attune my artistic senses, because I had apparently missed one of the many aesthetic perks of our Shenandoah Valley, nestled up against the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains.

After classes I went into Lexington to run some errands. Driving back along route 60, purple-pink blossoms along the green roadside popped out at me, one meandering turn after another. These, I figured, must be the redbuds. The blossoms, the green, and the mountains in the distance looked like they came right out of the pages of a fairytale. Fortunately, they are now also in the picture book of my life. And now you, too, know about the redbuds, so you can bask in their splendor before the next random bout of cold takes them away. Enjoy!